MX2008014477A

MX2008014477A - Pacifier.

Info

Publication number: MX2008014477A
Application number: MX2008014477A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Eckhard Itzek; Guenter Marr
Original assignee: Mapa Gmbh Gummi Plastikwerke
Priority date: 2006-05-16
Filing date: 2007-01-10
Publication date: 2008-11-27
Also published as: KR20090018637A; ES2364091T3; JP4962877B2; RU2008147804A; ES2393476T3; AU2007250300A1; ATE513538T1; EP2018141B1; TNSN08458A1; DE102006022669A1; BRPI0712401A2; EP2368538B1; RU2431459C2; EP2018141A1; EP2368538A1; JP2009537188A; CA2651903A1; WO2007131556A1; IL195162A0; CN101442973A

Abstract

Pacifier with a mouth shield made of relatively firm material, a nipple protruding from the inside of the mouth shield composed of relatively soft material, and a security thread composed of the relatively firm material connected to the mouth shield and connected to the nipple and extending in its longitudinal direction, characterized in that a first section of the security thread runs at a distance from the areas of the nipple intersected by the imaginary sagittal midplane of the nipple.

Description

CHUPON DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a pacifier with a mouth guard, a teat attached to it and a safety wire connected to the mouth guard and the teat. It is known to protect the teat against separation due to a strong suction or bite by a security thread that is intentionally made of a firmer material than the relatively soft teat. A pacifier of this type is known from German patent document DE 4229 224 C2. In the known pacifier the mouth guard and the nipple consist of a thermoplastic elastomer and are mutually crosslinked. A safety strip is made of the same material as that of the mouth guard, is connected to the mouth guard at both ends and is circumferentially guided around the teat in the longitudinal direction thereof. From this the objective of the present invention is to provide a pacifier that allows safe use. The objective is achieved by the features of claim 1, claim 20 and by the method for producing a pacifier in accordance with claim 24. Favorable embodiments of the present invention are indicated in the claims Ref .: 197934 subordinate . According to claim 1, the pacifier of the present invention comprises a mouth guard made of a relatively firm material, a teat protruding from the inside of the mouth guard and made of a relatively soft material and, connected to the protector by mouth a security thread made of a comparatively firm material which is connected to the nipple of the pacifier and extends in the longitudinal direction thereof. A first section of the security thread extends at a distance from those areas of the teat that are intersected by the imaginary sagittal midplane of the teat. The terms that designate an address as sagittal, transverse and to the right or left are now related and in the following to the head of a user who has in his mouth the pacifier of the present invention. The present invention is based on the finding that the protection against separation by bite of the teat that can be obtained by a security thread made of a firmer material must be further improved. In particular, the provision of the security thread in relation to the teeth plays an essential role. In the known arrangement of the security thread along an imaginary sagittal central plane of the teat both end sections of the security thread connected to the mouth guard are located in a position that is particularly exposed with respect to the teeth or rows of teeth , respectively of an infant or infant. Due to this, a cut of one or both sections of the safety wire connected to the mouth guard with a strong bite can take place. In the invention the danger of bite separation is avoided by the fact that a section of the safety wire is at a distance from the particularly exposed regions of the nipple. Due to the anatomical arrangement of the teeth, these particularly exposed regions are located in the center of the teat, more precisely in those regions of the teat that are intersected by the imaginary sagittal central plane of the teat, because the incisors of the teat user first make contact with these areas of the nipple in particular. This is true for both lower incisors that normally come first in an infant (sixth to seventh month) and also for the two upper incisors (eighth to tenth month). The distance to these zones that must be maintained according to the present invention can be given in an arbitrary direction, in a hollow nipple, for example the safety wire can be guided along the longitudinal axis of the nipple. By this it is protected at least by the walls of the teat that are located above and below the security thread. In the event that these walls are damaged due to the use of the pacifier, this can usually be recognized by the person in charge and the pacifier can be replaced before the safety thread can be cut by additional bite movements. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the first section of the security thread extends at a distance from the sagittal central plane of the teat. Accordingly, the security thread is at a distance from the central plane and the longitudinal axis of the teat. In another embodiment of the present invention the security thread is connected to the mouth guard at both ends, and a second section of the security thread is spaced in the right-left direction with respect to the first section. By this, it is achieved that the two sections of the security thread make the connection between the teat and the mouth guard and are located in different positions in the right-left position. Therefore, in order to be able to separate the teat from the mouth guard it is necessary that they be cut by biting sections of the security thread in different positions in relation to the rows of teeth of the user. This significantly reduces the probability that both sections of the security thread are cut at the same time. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and second sections of the security thread are disposed within the teat so that their distance in the right-left direction is maximum. The danger of simultaneous cutting is further reduced by the particularly large distance between the two sections of the safety wire. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and second sections of the security thread are arranged symmetrically to the sagittal central plane of the teat. A symmetrical arrangement provides manufacturing advantages and guarantees a uniform deformation capacity of the teat. In another embodiment of the present invention, the first and / or second section of the security thread are arranged close to the mouth guard, so that they are located in the region of the rows of teeth of a user. In this case, the sections of the security thread that are spaced apart from each other in accordance with the present invention are intentionally disposed in the area of the rows of teeth of a user, that is, in a pre-established position with respect to the longitudinal direction of the nipple. In another embodiment of the present invention, the security thread extends approximately in a transverse plane. This favors the flexibility of the teat. In an orthodontic form of the teat the security thread extends in the area of greatest cross-sectional width, and therefore only approximately in a transverse plane. Even by this a maximum of flexibility is maintained. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the security thread becomes at the end of the teat which is remote from the mouth guard. Therefore, the security thread forms a loop that is fixed to the mouth guard at both ends thereof. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention the teat is hollow. By this the elastic properties of the teat are improved. Through an opening in the nipple which is also provided on the side facing the mouth guard it is possible that the air that is in the nipple will escape when the nipple is compressed. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the teat is connected to the mouth guard via a section protruding from the edge along the periphery. This design of the teat favors a secure connection with the mouth guard. In addition, the teat is particularly soft in the area of the connection between the teat and the mouth guard, which increases the comfort of use. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the security thread is connected to the teat in the region of the rows of teeth of a user and / or in the region of the tip of the teat. In the case that the nipple is hollow and is connected to the safety wire in the region of the rows of teeth, the security thread extends along the wall of the teat in the area of the rows of teeth of a user. By connecting the security thread with the teat in an area that extends over a certain length of security thread the teat retains its shape better, even with damage to its wall. On the other hand, a connection predominantly in the area of the tip of the teat favors the flexibility of the teat. It is further preferred that the security thread be integrated into the wall of the teat. By this a particularly secure connection is obtained. According to another embodiment, the teat laps the security thread on the side facing the user. By this the outer side of the teat is constituted completely of the relatively soft material of the teat. The comfort of use is increased by the uniformly smooth surface. In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the relatively firm material is a thermoplastic synthetic material. It is also preferable that the relatively firm material be a thermoplastic elastomer. Both materials are suitable for the preferred manufacturing method of injection molding used for the mouth guard and the safety wire. If a thermoplastic elastomer is used the composition of the material is selected such that a material that is relatively firm at room temperature is generated. According to another preferred embodiment, the relatively firm material is a thermoplastic elastomer. For the teat even other elastic materials are suitable, for example, natural rubber or silicones. Thermoplastic elastomers are multi-phase materials that have elastically deformable molecular areas like rubber, regions in which fusible amorphous thermoplastics are incorporated. For this reason they can be deformed in thermoplastic form and at the same time have the desired elastic properties. In particular they are also accessible by the injection molding method. According to the circumstances, this implies an important facilitation of the manufacture. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the teat is crosslinked with the security thread and / or the mouth protector. By this a particularly intrinsic connection of the two different materials is achieved. In principle, the connection can be obtained even in another way, such as by means of gluing. However, lattice is a particularly simple and secure method of connection. According to the selection of material it can be a chemical reticulate or what is called a physical reticulate. In the latter the molecular chains are not chemically crosslinked with one another but are only entangled with each other. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention the relatively soft material contains the same base polymer as the relatively firm material. This results in advantages with respect to the connection capacity and the crosslinking capacity of the two materials. According to claim 20, the pacifier of the present invention has a mouth guard made of relatively firm material, a teat protruding from the inner part of the mouth guard and made of a relatively soft material, and a handle disposed thereon. mouth protector. The handle has two arcs made of relatively firm material whose ends are connected to the mouth guard. In principle, this pacifier of the present invention can be combined with each of the characteristics mentioned in the foregoing. Both arches are connected to the mouth guard at their ends and are made of the same relatively firm material mouth protector. They can therefore be molded by injection molding with the mouth guard in a process step. By this a particularly simple method of manufacturing a pacifier with a handle is obtained. In a preferred embodiment the arcs. They are tilted around an axis near their connection points with the mouth guard, and they connect with each other in their central sections. This means that the arcs formed on the mouth guard first are in a first position in their manufacture, and are formed so that they can swing about an axis close to their connection points. By tilting the arcs are placed in a second position in which the central sections of the two arcs are in contact with each other. In this position the two central sections of the arcs are connected to each other. The first position of the arcs can be selected so that the work piece can be removed from the mold in a simple manner. Therefore, a handle is supported on the mouth guard at the four connection points of the two arches. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the central sections of the two arcs are welded together. This is a particularly stable and simple connection. Alternatively it is even possible to provide an interlocking connection. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention the central sections of the arcs are provided with ribs on the sides facing each other. The ribs can facilitate an adapted union of the two arcs and can facilitate the connection process, in particular a welding. In an ultrasonic welding it is even possible to provide the corresponding direction transmitters for energy. In the method according to claim 24 of the present invention for the manufacture of a pacifier the two arcs are molded by monolithically injected casting with the mouth guard in a first position in which it is spaced from one another, and subsequently they combine and weld with each other by swinging the arcs around an axis near their points of connection with the mouth guard. In the following the present invention is explained in more detail by means of two examples of its embodiment illustrated in the figures. Figure 1 shows a pacifier with the bows of the handle tilted so that they are away from each other, in a perspective view from the side away from that of the user, Figure 2 shows the pacifier of figure 1 with the bows of the gripper connected in the view of figure 1, figure 3 shows the pacifier of figure 1 in a cross section in a transverse plane, figure 4 shows the pacifier of figure 1 in a partial cross section in a sagittal plane, figure 5 shows a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a pacifier according to the present invention. The pacifier illustrated in figure 1 is constituted by a mouth protector 10, two arches 14 forming a handle and a teat 20. The mouth protector 10 is essentially concave and adapted to the external anatomy of the mouth. The outer contour of the mouth guard 10 is essentially kidney-shaped with a curvature having a large radius at the upper edge as a free space for the beginning of the nose. Two emergency breathing holes 12 are provided on the right and left sides of the mouth guard 10. In the center of the mouth guard 10 there is an approximately elliptical opening 24 on whose edge the teat 20 is connected to the mouth guard 10. The two arcs 14 are each connected at their two ends to the outer side of the mouth guard 10. While the two arcs are not yet connected to each other, each arc 14 can swing around an axis extending approximately through the two connection points 16 with the mouth guard 10. In a central section of each arch there are ribs 18 in whose area both arches 14 come to rest against each other after tilting the two arches towards each other, and then they are joined by welding. The mouth protector 10 and the two arches 14 are made of a relatively firm material, in the illustrated example a thermoplastic synthetic material such as, for example, polypropylene (PP). Also the security thread 22 is made of a relatively firm material whose ends are transformed on the right and left side at the edge of the elliptical opening 24 of the mouth guard 10. In manufacturing, the security thread 22 is molded by injected casting together with the mouth guard and the two arcs 1. The teat 20 is constituted of a relatively soft thermoplastic elastomer. The end of the teat 20 that is shown on the aba side or in the drawing is in the user's oral cavity during use, the opposite end is enlarged in the manner of a funnel with elliptical cross section up to the diameter of the opening 24. The nipple is hollow on the inside and has an opening on the side facing the mouth guard through which air can escape from the cavity. On the lower, non-visible side of the mouth guard 10, the flared end of the teat 20 is connected to the mouth guard 10. The security thread 22 extends approximately in a transverse plane along the wall of the hollow nipple 20. Like all other components of the pacifier, even the security thread 22 is arranged symmetrical with respect to the sagittal central plane of the pacifier. The sections of the security thread 22 arranged to the right and to the left of the sagittal central plane are always at the maximum possible distance for a maximum of flexibility and softness of the teat. In Figure 1 the two arcs 14 are in a position in which they are spaced from one another, in which they can easily be demold after the injection molding. In the illustration of figure 2 the two arcs 14 are tilted in comparison with their first position, so that they meet one another in their central sections. In this area they are joined to one another by welding. By this a single handle is produced which is surely fixed to the mouth guard 10 by the four ends of the two arcs. In the cross-sectional view of figure 3 it is possible to identify the rounded shape of the teat 20 and of the security thread 22 which is incorporated in the wall of the teat 20 and which extends over its entire length in the section plane illustrated cross section. At its two ends, the safety thread 22 is seamlessly transformed into the mouth guard 10. The funnel-shaped teat 20 in the direction towards the mouth guard 10 has at 28 a protruding peripheral edge section which is connected to the mouth guard 10. The arrangement of the safety wire 22, completely symmetrical with respect to the sagittal central plane 30 can be easily identified. Even in the area of the rows of teeth, at 26, the sections of the safety wire 22 arranged on both sides of the sagittal central plane 30 are at a maximum distance. Figure 4 shows the pacifier partially in cross section along the sagittal central plane. The design of the pacifier 20 executed according to anatomical points of view can be easily identified. The security thread 22 extends at a distance from the sectional plane of illustration, however, in order to illustrate the course in a transverse plane the figure was incorporated. The two arcs 14 are illustrated in their combined position. Additionally, the two arcs 14 are illustrated in dashed lines in a first position 32 in order to illustrate the manufacturing process. The position 32 corresponds to the position of the arcs after molding by injected cast iron and facilitates the demolding of the work piece. After this the arcs 14 are tilted around their connection points 16 with the mouth guard 10. Finally, Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention in a perspective view. The illustrated embodiment differs from those of figures 1 to 4 in that on the side of the mouth guard 10 remote from the user what is called a dome 36 is formed. This dome is covered by a cover cover 34 on the side away from the user. The lid has an approximately round shape and has a surrounding notch 40 which is particularly convenient for gripping. Optionally, even a cover cover 34 with holes can be used to fix a mobile ring not shown.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. Pacifier with a mouth guard made of relatively firm material, a hollow nipple protruding from the inside of the mouth guard and composed of a relatively soft material and, connected to the mouth protector, a safety wire constituted of a comparatively firm material which is connected to the pacifier nipple and extends in the longitudinal direction thereof, characterized in that a first section of the safety wire is extends at a distance from those areas of the nipple that are intersected by the imaginary sagittal midplane of the nipple.
2. Pacifier according to claim 1, characterized in that the first section of the safety wire extends at a distance from the sagittal central plane of the teat.
Pacifier according to any of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the safety wire is connected to the mouth guard at both ends and a second section of the safety wire is spaced in the right-left direction relative to the first section.
4. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first and second sections of the security thread are arranged inside the teat so that its distance is maximum in the right-left direction.
5. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first and second sections of the security thread are arranged symmetrical to the central sagittal plane of the pacifier.
Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first and / or the second section of the security thread is arranged close to the mouth guard so that they are placed in the area of the rows of teeth of a user.
Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the safety wire extends approximately in a transverse plane.
8. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the safety wire turns at the end of the teat which is remote from the mouth guard.
9. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the teat has an opening on the side facing the mouth guard.
10. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the teat is connected to the mouth guard via a protruding edge section of the periphery.
11. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the safety wire is connected to the teat in the area of the rows of teeth of a user and / or in the area of the tip of the teat.
12. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the security thread is incorporated in the wall of the teat.
13. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the teat overlaps the security thread on the side facing a user.
14. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the relatively firm material is a thermoplastic synthetic material.
15. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the relatively firm material is a thermoplastic elastomer.
16. Pacifier according to any of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the relatively soft material is a thermoplastic elastomer.
17. Pacifier according to any of claims 15 or 16, characterized in that the teat is cross-linked with the safety thread and / or the mouth guard.
18. Pacifier according to any of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that the relatively soft material contains the same base polymer as the relatively firm material.
19. Pacifier, in particular according to any one of claims 1 to 18, with a mouth guard made of a relatively firm material, a teat protruding from the inside of the mouth guard and composed of a relatively soft material, and a handgrip disposed in the mouth guard, characterized in that the handle has two arches made of a relatively firm material whose ends are connected to the mouth guard.
20. Pacifier according to claim 19, characterized in that the arcs swing around an axis close to their points of connection with the mouth guard and are connected to each other in their central sections.
21. Pacifier according to any of claims 19 or 20, characterized in that the arcs are welded together in their central sections.
22. Pacifier according to any of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the central sections of the arcs are provided with ribs on their sides facing each other. Method for producing a pacifier according to claim 19, characterized in that the two arcs are molded monolithically with the mouth guard by injection molding in a first position in which they are spaced from one another and subsequently combined and welded together by tilting the arcs around an axis near their connection points with the mouth guard.